Al Jazeera Seeks to Expand U.S. Audience

1/2/2013 10:18PM

Al Jazeera agreed to purchase the U.S. cable channel Current TV in an effort to expand the Qatar-based news service's U.S. audience. The WSJ's Keach Hagey explains what the move means for the media industry and why not all cable operators are on board with the deal. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the the ... yet worked out ... well By Al Gore's current TV joining me now is reporter Keach Hagy on the New York ... he keeps out says there has been trying to penetrate the US audience for some time now ... so purchasing current TV is it likely that it will do so ... absolutely that's the strategy behind this new that's what they have all announced with ... the idea ... on ... how does your has tried to ... get a foothold in small cable market it's trying to penetrate the US market I minded if not had any success in national ... Keywell carrier ... is the first time ... and so um ... Curran has about sixteen million viewers Isis and sixty nine households that breeches which is not ... as good distribution as a full this deviation which is around ninety nine ... but still pretty dead ... on and it's a lot more than ... it had before ... again ounces era has suffer and that ... this isn't in the path that ... I read a decade ago I ve remember a whiz at showing some videos of the LK that ... on which was highly criticized in the US ... anyhow I'm and bought about any possible backlash political backlash I've given the fact that Dallas is here as an Arab station ... taking over of the U S station ... CI is really on undergone a remarkable brand transformation in the U S in Alaska for years on it's true that that's the first thing that comes to mind for came to mind a lot Americans for a long time ... but out here it is covered ... uptick in the Arab Spring ... and many got a lot less attention on a lot are ... three is ... Washington ... state to cough ... on and it's kind of ... among the ... chattering classes I cant that of the US ... I'm you think there is likely to be a small back lots because I have done recording before there are people out there that just don't like ... Deere has its own By guitar and that's it should come at the very very small minority anytime I think the Opinion How Does Your Springs in July ... Cade Time Warner I'm the US the second largest cable operator in the US has ... just recently announced that it would drop at current TV from its at ... the cable line out ... on any reason why it was there any reason given for doing this ... yet they they dropped because of the deal ... aam ... that's when chill high here is the co founders of ... our current said in his announcement to stop you know ... we tried to get as many just to be has to come with us ... Swan didn't want to come find will find someone else ... a and and we've heard from around reporting from it the time when our cable side that that yes it was because the president ... did they say though why am I why they just didn't like it was it because it's ounces you're at it in the one thousand zero on on the table ... I don't think it's because of the content about two zero eight is complicated because houses year has doesn't have relationships with various cable carriers and small markets around the U S know they're a little bit in DC bureau a little bit in that Burlington Vermont ... on and so there's some chatter that they did ... they Ardi have relations with the NY Times and those other places so ... on that topic content that ... it's a smart business decision ... the arrest said that it will be brand to our current TV Al Jazeera America at any idea whether or not Al Gore will be involved in a new channel and ... I'll what will happen to existing programming ... I'm ... current TV as we now know it is pretty much going to go away ... some of the staffers may well be ... hired by the new channel Al Jazeera America ... on their hearing EU or ... the right skills to TX ... on our core haven't done anything ... about this yet but there are to be some members of Kearney CDs in its leadership that was not an advisory board on France's your America ... and cake thanks Dreymann's Keach Katie Joe inning as from the or ... for one that star a to get it WS J dot com under for concert Wall Street Journal digital network